The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels

The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was exciting and confusing. Sometimes I couldn't follow where David was going with things he was investigating. I guess I couldn't see into his brain well enough, but maybe that was what made the solution so unexpected. As I was reading, it felt as though I was watching a movie in my mind. I could clearly picture the landscape, the house, the clock, the storm, the island and the prison. That was very well done. I even got cold reading about the snow. I'm anxious to read the next book. I'm looking forward to Emma telling us more about Destiny, her past and her personality. I don't see her ending up with Scott. Anyway, this was a good read. I liked the way the pages were laid out -- I know that seems weird, but it made the chapters go by quickly. I like that. I still have some questions though -- like how...ooops! Don't want to spoil it for anyone.




View all my reviews

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is what I am reading. I finally got to "The Thirteenth Chime" by Emma Michaels.

Here's my teaser:

"That's the problem, I don't know his name,"

David said shaking his head. "All I know is that he lived

in that old Victorian-era house on the cliff a long time ago."

p. 119

Hmmm...so, want to play? Grab your read, make your post and leave the link in the Mr. Linky at Should Be Reading! I'll probably visit your blog soon.



Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book made me count my blessings. I have Irish ancestors and actually traveled to Ireland the summer before last. The monuments and historical places depicting the Famine were all over. Frank McCourt didn't live during the Famine, but his childhood was pretty bad. They lived on fried bread and tea. They were lucky to have shoes -- some children didn't -- and they only had the clothes on their backs which were not much to speak of. His mother had to stand in line for vouchers for food and on at least one occasion actually begged for food from the priests. Frank was very bright though. He learned to read and write and it served him well when he was trying to make some money. The religious in Limerick didn't do him any favors though. His father taught him all the prayers of the Mass in Latin and just what to do to be an altar boy, but they "didn't have room for him". Another time he wanted to join the White Fathers and go to the Sahara desert and convert the Bedouins and they told him to go home to his mother. It could have been a sad story, but it wasn't a "tug at your heartstrings" kind of story. It was sad that they were so poor, but they lived through it. Frank found many ways to get food and make himself useful so he could earn a shilling or two. He also went through all the things that normal 13-14 year-old boys go through... In the end, he saved and saved his money and made it to America. He was a good boy even though he stole and did things he shouldn't have. I enjoyed this book and it made me wonder what my ancestors had to go through when they lived in Ireland. Frank has another book simply entitled 'Tis. It must be about his life in America because "Angela's Ashes" ends with the word 'Tis.




View all my reviews

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The first thing you notice about reading or listening to this book compared to the movie is that they left a lot of it out of the movie -- of course, you couldn't really put it all in, but... The Quidditch matches are much more detailed as well as the scene in the Shrieking Shack. I don't remember the bit about the four "friends" changing themselves into animals at all (but that could be just me). I'm growing to love this series as many, many, many of you have. Poor Hagrid. He loves so hard you just have to love him back. And I got tired just listening about Hermione and her studies. I'm going to watch the movie before I go on to the Goblet of Fire, just to refresh my memory about it.




View all my reviews

The Book Blogger Hop Tour 1/14-17, 2011

The Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Crazy-for-books.com is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to Crazy-for-books.com and see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!

RULES:

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews. Go to Crazy-for-books.com and follow the directions there to sign up. There is also always a question to answer so that we can get to know each other better. This week's question is:

"Why do you read the genre that you do? What draws you to it?"

So, you give the answer in your blog post or the comments and follow as many links as you can! It's great fun and it results in new followers for your blog!

I like to read almost anything, but my favorite genre is time travel romance. I know, I know, but when I first started reading again, the first book I read was "A Knight In Shining Armor" by Jude Deveraux and I was hooked on time travel. It was so funny and it made me think of things I never thought about before. I guess the reason I'm drawn to it is because I can imagine myself in another time -- probably the past -- and running in to historymakers would be amazing.

I have also discovered urban fantasy and -- hmmm, why am I drawn to it? -- because it's exciting!!! duh! Picturing characters and scenes in my imagination running around clashing with monsters, vampires and demons. Wow!

Hope you can visit my blog this weekend! Have a great one!

The Time of the Doves by Merce Rodoreda

The Time of the Doves by Mercè Rodoreda


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In his introduction, David Rosethal writes, "In a sense 'The Time of the Doves' is the story of most Spaniards during the 1930s and 1940s. But more profoudly, it explores what it feels like to be an ordinary woman in a Mediterranean country. Rodoreda uses a stream-of-consciousness technique to place us directly inside Natalia's sensibility, yet her technique is so subtle that we are aware only of the flow of Natalia's feelings." Of course, I read the introduction AFTER I read the book. It gave me an "ah ha!" moment. I really felt as though I was inside Natalia's brain feeling what she was feeling. The story is just a little story, but it moves quickly and things happen all the time that move the story along. They aren't heroic things, just ordinary everyday things, but they seem so significant to Natalia and to me as I read them. I loved this book. The writing was such that I could hear the doves and feel the sunshine. It was superb.




View all my reviews

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm an truly enjoying experiencing the Harry Potter series on tape. The Chamber of Secrets was so exciting with all the different parts coming to life in Jim Dale's narration. There are parts that I hadn't remembered from reading the book or seeing the movie -- the Valentine's Day bit especially. I really liked the scene with Ron and Harry and the spiders as well as the rescue, of course. If you have never listened to an audiobook or just haven't listened to the Potter series on tape or CD, you should give it a try. It's wonderful!






View all my reviews

What are you reading Monday!!!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.


Book Journey hosts this weekly meme loves being a part of it! So do I! As part of this weekly meme she encourages us to go and visit the others participating in this meme. She offers a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment. You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just return to Book Journey and tell how many you visited in the comment area.

This week I've done really well for me. I finished 2 books and 1 audiobook:

I finished "The Cricket on the Hearth and other stories" by Charles Dickens,

and "A Redbird Christmas" by Fannie Flagg.

I also listened to:

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling.

This week, I plan to finish:

"The Time of the Doves" by Merce Rodoreda, and

the book on tape: "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling.

Next, I plan to continue with the Harry Potter series on tape and read:

"Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt for my book club selection. We are each reading a biography, autobiography or memoir for this month. 

So, that's it! What are you reading today? Leave me a comment...

I've learned to make Progress Bars!

I want to thank Parajunkee.com for starting her Book Blogging 101 series! I have just learned to make Progress Bars! I have been wanting to know how to do that for a long time. I'm going to go through her Book Blogging 101 series and see what I can learn -- I have a lot to learn about blogging. I also want to thank the Book Vixen for offering such a great tutorial on Progress Bars. It's probably just a little thing, but it means a whole lot to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.


Book Blogging 101

1/47 topics

How did I do?

It's Friday and I'm Bloghopping this weekend!

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:


Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list

Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://stalkingthebookshelves.blogspot.com/

Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing at Parajunkee.com.


Grab the button there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

Follow Follow Follow as many as you can

If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!

If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

What book(s) have you discovered lately from someone's book blog?

I have a couple of series that I want to check out but haven't had a chance yet. They are the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa and the White House Chef mystery series by Julie Hyzy. They are very different, but being an eclectic reader, I am curious about both of them.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I love listening to Jim Dale. He's amazing. He speaks in a different voice for every character and switches from one to another effortlessly. Of course the Harry Potter story is amazing, too. Even though I have listened to and read this story before, there were actually things that I picked up this time that I didn't remember from the other times. The adventures, the antics, the unique beings, they all add so much to this story. My favorite teacher is Professor McGonigle and how can anyone not like Hagrid with his love for little baby dragons. I'm hoping to get through the whole series this time, so I'm off to a good start.






View all my reviews

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read this book as part of the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge and it was definitely filled with Christmas Spirit. Oswald Campbell was told by his doctor in Chicago that if he didn't get out of the cold city, he would be dead by Christmas. He also gave him a brochure of a little place in Alabama that his father sent people to to get out of the north cold. Oswald investigated and made the trip to Lost River, Alabama. There he found a community of wonderful people who welcomed him and helped him develop a new outlook on life. Oswald's story isn't the only one in this book. It's also a story of a little girl, Patsy and her best friend, Jack - an injured Northern Cardinal. I'm not saying more than that because you will just have to read the book. It moves quickly and is a bit predictable, but you're never really sure what will really happen next. I enjoyed it very much.






View all my reviews

The Cricket on the Hearth and Other Stories by Charles Dickens

The Cricket on the Hearth and Other Christmas Stories by Charles Dickens


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Cricket on the Hearth was a very entertaining story. The story of a little family, its members somewhat insecure in their relationship with each other, but a nice little family nonetheless. Yes, Dickens puts a mystery and a twist in the story that doesn't resolve itself until the end -- which I liked very much. The other stories were kind of dark and creepy -- guess Dickens was good at that, too, but I didn't like them as well. Anyway, it's always good to read a Dickens' tale at Christmastime.




View all my reviews

2010 Celebrate the Authors Challenge

For this challenge I read the following books -- I also used them for the "Everyday is a Holiday" Challenge:

January 11th: Diana Galbaldon and I read "An Echo in the Bone"
January 25th: Virginia Woolf and I read "A Room of One's Own"
February 17th: Lauraine Snelling and I read "Daughter of Twin Oaks"
March 28th: Lauren Willig and I read "The Secret History of the Pink Carnation"
April 29th: Jeff Guinn and I read "The Autobiography of Santa Claus"
May 21st: Janet Dailey and I read "Santa in Montana"
June -- didn't make this one
July 31st: J.K. Rowling and I read "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone"
August 15th: Stieg Larsson and I read "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
September 8th: Mary Ann Shaffer and I read "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"
September 12th: Dorothea Benton Frank and I read "The Christmas Pearl"
October 22nd: Debbie Macomber and I read "Angels at Christmas"
November 25th: Charlaine Harris and I read "Dead Until Dark"
December 6th: Garth Stein and I read "The Art of Racing in the Rain"

So, as you can see, I found more than one author for some of the months and nobody for June!
This was a fun challenge!

The A to Z Challenge 2010

These are the books I read for the 2010 A to Z Challenge - books:

Angels at Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Black by Ted Dekker

The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank

Daughter of Twin Oaks by Lauraine Snelling

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Fortunata and Jacinta by Benito Perez Galdos

The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Kissing the Countess by Susan King

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
Once Upon A Rose by Judith O'Brien
The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander
Santa in Montana by Judith Dailey
Time and Again by Nora Roberts
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

AND, these were the ones for the 2010 A to Z Challenge - Authors:

Julie Beard -The Christmas Cat
Cassandra Clare - Clockwork Angel
Jude Deveraux - Lavendar Morning
Josephine Everetts Seeker - Mother and Daughter Tales
Jamie Ford - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Diana Galbaldon - An Echo in the Bone
James Hilton - Lost Horizon
Jeff Guinn - The Autobiography of Santa Claus
Donna Leon - A Noble Radiance
J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
David Saperstein & James J. Rush - The Christmas Gift
Virginia Woolf - A Room of One's Own

I did a lot better than last year and can't wait to get started on the 2011 Challenges!

Happy New Year!